How to Buy and Serve Virginia Oysters

Virginia oysters are harvested from North America's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Farm raised Virginia oysters are also available along much of the Atlantic Coast. Virginia oysters in the shell are sold by the bushel, peck, dozen or piece.

When buying oysters, one can expect to need 40-60 standard oysters to obtain a pint of raw shucked oysters and liquor.

Oysters are also sold freshly shucked, in their own juice. The number of oysters per pint varies depending on market sizes.

These are some common market sizes for shucked oysters:

Extra Large or Counts - less than 20
Large or Extra Select - 20–26
Medium or Select - 26–38
Small or Standard - 38–63
Very Small - more than 63

When serving raw oysters on the half shell as an appetizer, plan on 5-6 oysters per person, or 12-18 per person as an entree. Most recipes that call for shucked oysters are based on using 1 pint of oysters and liquor.

Steamed oysters should not be overcooked. Steamed or roasted oysters are served with melted butter, cider vinegar or other condiments. Other sides suitable for serving with steamed oysters include home baked breads, green salads and light soups.

More Information

How to Shuck Oysters

Seafood For Christmas - Fresh Fish, Shellfish, Artwork and Apparel

For shoppers that choose to give seafood as a holiday gift, this seafood business directory provides detailed listings of online seafood markets, shops and other ecommerce sites.

In addition to fresh seafood, online stores offer ornaments, cards, and other items featuring a variety of seafood logos, photos or other artwork.

Among the online stores that specialize in seafood artwork are:

Online shoppers will find fish, shrimp, crab, lobster, clam and oyster t-shirts, sweatshirts, stickers, coffee mugs, art and other gifts at Fish-Fishing-Seafood online store.

Outdoors USA online store offers a wide range of seafood-themed Christmas ornaments, stickers, buttons, magnets, aprons, kitchen decor, apparel and other gift items.

Polaris Lipids Certified By Friend of the Sea

Friend of the Sea recently certified Polaris nutritional lipids. The company's fish oil-based products originate from the Peruvian anchovies sustainable fleet. Polaris is one of the global leaders in nutritional lipids, specializing in the production and the formulation of polyunsaturated fatty acids including Omega 3s. Polaris is the partner and sole agent of EPAX high quality fish oils in France, Spain and Portugal.

source: Friend of the Sea

MSC Announces 7000th Ecolabelled Product

J Sainsbury peeled, frozen prawns recently became the 7000th MSC ecolabelled product worldwide. Growth in MSC ecolabelled products has increased dramatically over the past four years doubling, on average, every 12 - 15 months.

According to MSC, consumer interest in their branding has rocketed over the past two years with recent figures showing a 60% increase in recognition of the MSC ecolabel in the UK. The organization reports that nearly one in five people now recognize the MSC ecolabel..

source: MSC press release

EU MEP Rails Against Imported Pangasius

According to a recent press release from conservative MEP Struan Stevenson, Pangasius or panga fish is being sold at rock-bottom prices under names including basa, grey sole and Vietnamese river cobbler by UK supermarkets, fishmongers and fish-and-chip shops.

In the past year alone, UK sales of frozen pangasius have rocketed by 50% to nearly 1,500 tonnes, while sales of traditional species like cod, salmon and trout have dropped.

In a keynote speech to a conference on aquaculture in the European Parliament, Mr. Stevenson reported that imports of the cheap fish are undercutting European fish farmers and allowing multinational firms to exploit virtual “slave labour” in Vietnam.

Imports now account for 60% of fish consumed within the EU, worth £25billion last year. Imported fish included 224,100 tonnes of pangasius from Vietnam.

Mr Stevenson was critical of pangasuis production in the region, stating that: "The Mekong River is one of the most heavily polluted rivers on Earth. Factories along its banks daily pump thousands of tonnes of contaminants into its slow-flowing waters.

"As a result, the water in which pangasius is being farmed is teeming with bacteria and poisoned with industrial effluents including arsenic, mercury and DDT."

ASA Fights Sea Scallop Short Weighing Fraud

The American Scallop Association recently announced that it’s stepping up efforts to fight fraud in the sea scallop industry. The association is pledging to accurately label all scallop products including fresh and frozen as well as domestic and foreign. The plan will establish a system to self-police its 18 members.

Sea scallops are among several products with a history of seafood short-weighing. In past investigations, Weights and Measures Inspectors with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection found that consumers were being charged for glazing and ice in packaged scallops, resulting in massive overcharges.

Ny-Fiskur Cod Will Carry Friend of the Sea Logo

Friend of the Sea has certified the jiggers and liners Ny-Fiskur cod fleet supplying Marine Harvest and the Swiss wholesaler and processor Covedis (provider of Manor and Sushi Zen). The certified cod will now reach the Swiss and International markets carrying the Friend of the Sea logo.

source: Friend of the Sea

2010 Oregon Dungeness Crab Season

Good news is in about the 2010 Fall Oregon Dungeness Crab season. "The first round of quality testing completed on 20 October has revealed that crabs are looking healthy and packed with meat", said Nick Furman, the Executive Director of the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission. Furman went on to state that "We think we'll have another good harvest this year."

source: FishLink Sublegals

Genetically Engineered Salmon under Fire

On October 26, 2010 U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to halt its approval process for an Atlantic Salmon produced by AquaBounty Technologies.

In a letter to Dr. Margaret Hamburg, FDA Commissioner of Food and Drugs, Senator Snowe said the FDA’s current review process, originally created to review applications for new animal drugs, was inadequate and inappropriate for the review at hand and urged the FDA to establish a targeted, detailed and transparent environmental review process for genetically engineered animals intended for human consumption, including a commitment to hold additional public hearings on the topic.

Senator Snowe’s letter also called on the FDA to pursue additional consultations with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization (NOAA) as required by law. “Transgenic fish have the potential to negatively affect our current wild capture fisheries, aquaculture operations, and other sectors of the economy that depend on healthy marine and freshwater ecosystems.

The critical letter is one of several recent blows against the plan to approve what opponents call "frankenfish". The Center for Food Safety (CFS) also released a press release argues which clams that the FDA knowingly withheld a Federal Biological Opinion by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) prohibiting the use of transgenic salmon in open-water net pens pursuant to the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA).